Fletcher Holman recounts the moment that he felt his hamstring go. Taking on Bristol City in pre-season and having dazzled early on against the Championship side, he raced for a ball in the corner of the Arkell’s Stand and Stratton Bank in the 24th minute. Suddenly, he was holding the back of his leg and collapsing to the floor.

Fletcher Holman goes down with a hamstring injury during pre-season (Image: Andy Crook)

Having scored in the previous friendly against Crystal Palace and been very exciting early on against City, it was a cruel blow. Holman and everyone else soon learned that he had suffered a Grade 3C hamstring tear, and would be out for at least four months.

“It has been very difficult for me mentally,” he said. “I thought that it would be smooth sailing, but it has been very difficult.”

The former Wolverhampton Wanderers forward had been a sensation since arriving in January, grabbing five goals and four assists. The team Ian Holloway was building was based around the pace and directness that he could offer, but suddenly that was taken away.

“I started off being in a brace for a few weeks and couldn't really move,” he said. “All I want to do is play football, and then that gets taken away from you, which is very challenging. You just have to be able to find different things that you enjoy, and living with three other lads is massive to be able to switch your brain off and do different things.”

Whilst it is not the situation that anyone would want, Holman has at least not been short of company during his spell on the sidelines. Gavin Kilkenny broke his ankle three days later, and that is one of a number of long-term injuries that have been sustained, helping to create some camaraderie among the wounded.

“I have ended up seeing a fair few new faces in the gym,” Holman said. “Gav has been with me pretty much every step of the way, and he has been brilliant. You don’t want to see new people, but that is the situation that we have been in, and hopefully they will be back out there as soon as I will.”

The 22-year-old also lives with three other players on the team, two of whom have been on the journey with him. Joel McGregor has only just returned from an ankle injury sustained a few days before Holman, and Ben Middlemas has a knee injury that will likely keep him out until the New Year.

Fletcher Holman watching Swindon Town play against Cheltenham Town (Image: Andy Crook)

The group, along with Billy Kirkman, have grown very close living together, and Holman admitted they had been very important in helping him through his rehabilitation.

“Billy has been keeping the group alive at the moment,” he joked. “He always comes back with a few bruises and a few knocks, but he is a warrior and just goes for it.

“The boys in the house are really supportive of each other. We will always have a little bit of a joke, but we will always be there to help one another. Three of us went for a scan a few weeks ago, so we were all there together, which was really nice.”

Fletcher Holman and Dan Butler warming up before Swindon Town played walsall (Image: Andy Crook)

Holman got a special present for his 22nd birthday: the green light to get back on the grass and play at least some role in training. Whilst he is still more than a month away from playing another game, it was a massive moment of seeing light at the end of the tunnel.

“It was something that I have been waiting for for ages,” he said. “Not being able to do that for so long and finally being able to put my boots back on and get a few touches of the football was so nice. I was buzzing to be back. Joel and I are brothers now, so being able to do that with him as well was really nice.”

Holman has been a regular presence at home games since his injury, often going to meet young fans in the Junior Reds room pre-match. Some fans may even have spotted him and Ben Middlemas in the away end at the Memorial Stadium last weekend.

Fletcher Holman playing darts with young Swindon Town fans (Image: Shaun King)

Whilst it can be tough watching your friends do what you cannot, Holman said that he has tried to be involved as much as he can, absorbing all the detail of what the team are doing to help him hit the ground running.

“I am watching every game on the tele,” Holman said. “I am there at every home game, listening to what the gaffer says and trying to take every piece of detail in and improve myself. Even when you are injured, you need to try to develop yourself in a different way by still watching and knowing what the manager wants so that you are ready to come back and fly.

“I think I always have to look at the game selfishly and think about what I can add to the team, but I also know that the squad the gaffer puts out on the pitch is full of quality, because I watch them every day in training.

“It is difficult to watch at times, because you want to be out there and playing in front of everyone, but I am not rushing anything. They are a great group, and I am going to struggle to get back in, because everyone is competing and doing really well. That will definitely be a challenge.”

With his sights set on a return in mid-December, Holman is not out of the woods yet, but he has made excellent progress to get to this point. All Swindon fans will be as eager as he is to see The Goalman back out on the pitch, and hopefully that day will come soon.